Art Deco Exhibition Connects Tubbercurry to Brussels

Tubbercurry Library welcomes ‘Art Deco Expo’- the third exhibition to come to Ireland from the Paul Hankar Institute of Brussels under the auspices of the Irish in Europe Association Cultural Exchange programme. This exhibition follows the exhibition trail of the Brussels ‘Like a Tree’ and the student Art Nouveau Conceptual exhibitions that have been already exhibited in many venues in the existing Cultural Exchange partner regions of the Irish in Europe. The Brussels 'Like a Tree' exhibition will be exhibited soon in Sligo town. The aim of these exhibitions is to help grow relationships between Sligo and Brussels the Flemish, Belgian and EU Capital. By growing cultural links with Sligo and counties in the catchment area of Knock – Ireland West airport will help to lay the foundations to have direct flights between Knock and and Brussels.

Sligo was selected as a partner region in recognition of its achievement in being awarded the status of 2017 European Volunteering Capital. In parallel to the exhibitions taking place in Sligo, the Irish in Europe Association were pleased to facilitate the participation of County Sligo in the open doors event at the Committee of Regions in Brussels over the weekend of May 6 with the assistance of local Councillor Jerry Lundy and member of the Committee of the Regions. This county Sligo delegation to Brussels was led by Councillor Marie Casserly, Mayor of Sligo and Chairperson of Sligo Volunteering Centre together with officials from Sligo County Council. In recognition of Sligo European Volunteering Capital, the Irish in Europe Association 2017 Year Theme is "Volunteering makes the Difference at Home and Abroad".

Art Deco is an influential visual arts design style that first appeared in France before World War 1 and began flourishing internationally in the 1920s, 1930s and 1940s before its popularity waned after World War 2. It took its name, short for Arts Décoratifs, from the Exposition Internationale des Arts Décoratifs et Industriels Modernes (International Exposition of Modern Decorative and Industrial Arts) held in Paris in 1925. It is an eclectic style that combines traditional craft motifs with Machine Age imagery and materials. The style is often characterised by rich colours, bold geometric shapes and lavish ornamentation.

Deco emerged from the interwar period when rapid industrialisation was transforming culture. One of its major attributes is an embrace of technology; this distinguishes Deco from the organic motifs favoured by its predecessor Art Nouveau.

Historian Bevis Hillier defined Art Deco as "an assertively modern style that ran to symmetry rather than asymmetry, and to the rectilinear rather than the curvilinear; it responded to the demands of the machine and of new material and the requirements of mass production". During its heyday, Art Deco represented luxury, glamour, exuberance and faith in social and technological progress.

Art Deco was a globally popular style and affected many areas of design. It was used widely in consumer products such as automobiles, furniture, cookware, china, textiles, jewellery, clocks, and electronic items such as radios, telephones, and jukeboxes It also influenced architecture, interior design, industrial design, fashion, graphic arts, and cinema.

The ‘Art Deco Expo’ which is part of a Paul Hankar Institute student project at Tubbercurry sets out the origins, influences and principles of Art Deco in the early 1900’s and its evolution as major form of architecture with stunning supporting visuals and motifs.

It also hoped that the exhibition will alert visitors to the possible existence of Art Deco styled buildings in their local communities or Art Deco type facades, or windows or indeed Art Deco style furniture within their homes.

The Paul Hankar Institute in Brussels was built in the Art Deco style in the 1930’s and it was in its famous colourful rotunda that has already hosted exhibitions from the Partnership regions have been exhibited as part of an Irish Festival weekends. Sligo looks forward to having an exhibition there in the coming 12 months.

This exhibition will be launched on Friday 12th May at 7pm in Tubbercurry Community Library by Cathaoirleach Councillor Dara Mulvey. It will be displayed at this venue until Saturday 3rd June 2017.